Nothing ‘adult’ about it

Published: Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

My wife and I attended a live play at a local theater recently. The play advertised itself as having “adult language.” Now, when I was a kid I spent a lot of time around adults hunting, fishing, bowling and miscellaneous other friends and family gatherings and never have I heard such language, except around some other kids. So, why do we now call crude four-letter, insulting words “adult” language? To soften it? Well it doesn’t.

Neither we nor our friends use such language and would hopefully be called on it if we did. Do the actors and entertainers who use this language on stage use it at home, in the presence of their spouses, children, friends? So why would they use such obnoxious language in public and on stage, no less? We would think that if they do not use foul language regularly they would be as embarrassed as (hopefully) many of us in the audience were.

It was a good play and the actors did such a good job the “enunciations” were not needed. I have attended some of the previous plays advertising adult language, but it was adult without the foul language of this play. I will in the future clarify the language classified as “adult” before I submit funds for support.

WELDON GEBHARD Panama City

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My wife and I attended a live play at a local theater recently. The play advertised itself as having “adult language.” Now, when I was a kid I spent a lot of time around adults hunting, fishing, bowling and miscellaneous other friends and family gatherings and never have I heard such language, except around some other kids. So, why do we now call crude four-letter, insulting words “adult” language? To soften it? Well it doesn’t.

Neither we nor our friends use such language and would hopefully be called on it if we did. Do the actors and entertainers who use this language on stage use it at home, in the presence of their spouses, children, friends? So why would they use such obnoxious language in public and on stage, no less? We would think that if they do not use foul language regularly they would be as embarrassed as (hopefully) many of us in the audience were.

It was a good play and the actors did such a good job the “enunciations” were not needed. I have attended some of the previous plays advertising adult language, but it was adult without the foul language of this play. I will in the future clarify the language classified as “adult” before I submit funds for support.